The match of the weekend in Serie A came on Saturday evening when last season’s top two met at the Allianz Stadium. Napoli travelled to Juventus looking to make it two wins from two, but despite a late recovery there was to be a late twist in the tale.
Napoli came back from 3-0 down to equalise through Giovani Di Lorenzo with nine minutes remaining, but a late own goal from Kalidou Koulibaly gifted all three points to the reigning champions.
Juventus raced into a commanding position in the opening 20 minutes. Danilo announced himself to the home support with a goal shortly after coming on as a substitute. The former Manchester City full back who joined the high-quality squad over the summer scored after 16 minutes, before Gonzalo Higuain doubled their lead three minutes later.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side had their chances, but lacked the cutting edge in front of goal. Juventus pressed home their advantage once again in the second period as Cristiano Ronaldo added a third.
However, Napoli would get a foothold back in the game over the next ten minutes and score a quick fire double through Kostas Manolas and Hirving Lozano. The latter of the two has recently signed for Napoli in a club-record deal. Juventus were shell shocked and couldn’t recover before Di Lorenzo equalised.
In truth, Napoli probably deserved a point in the end but football is a harsh game and Koulibaly’s mistake allowed the Old Lady to take all three points. The win is an early indication that Juventus have the fire power to guide them to another Serie A title.
Milan Rivals Win
Inter Milan have started the season with a clear intention of the Serie A title. However, on an ugly night in Cagliari for the sport, it was the fans in attendance that received all the headlines rather than the action on the field. New Inter Milan signing Romelu Lukaku was subject to racist abuse from the home fans throughout the evening, but that didn’t stop the former Manchester United striker making it two goals in two games as he scored the winning penalty 18 minutes from time.
Antonio Conte’s side went ahead after 27 minutes through Lautaro Martinez, but were pegged back early in the second period by Joao Pedro. However, Lukaku’s last gasp penalty meant that Conte’s team will go into the first international break of the season as the Serie A league leaders. There was also a place on the bench for new signing Alexis Sanchez, but the Chilean didn’t enter the fray.
Meanwhile, Inter’s city-rivals AC also got their first win of the season over the weekend as a Hakan Calhanoglu goal was enough to get past Brescia at the San Siro. Milan dominated throughout and they would have been disappointed not to have had a more comfortable scoreline.
Roma Draw, But Defeats For Fiorentina and Atalanta
AS Roma’s winless run at the start of the season continued as they were held away from home by Lazio. Roma took the lead in the first half through Aleksandar Kolarov, but they were pegged back in the second period by Luis Alberto.
New Fiorentina summer signing Franck Ribery came off the bench but was helpless in helping his new team avoid defeat against Genoa. The hosts went ahead through Cristian Zapata, before Christian Kouame doubled Genoa’s advantage midway through the second period. Erick Pulgar did pull a goal back with 14 minutes remaining, but Fiorentina couldn’t get the equaliser.
Torino bounced back from their Europa League exit to defeat Atalanta away from home. Kevin Bonifazi put Torino ahead before the half hour mark, but a double from Duvan Zapata turned the game on its head with an hour gone. However, second half goals from Alejandro Berenguer Remiro and Armando Izzo ensured that Torino got a first away win of the new season.
Comfortable Wins For Parma and Sassuolo
Parma got their first win of the new season after they came back from 1-0 down against Udinese. Goals from Gervinho, Riccardo Gagliolo and Roberto Inglese made for a comfortable evening.
It was also a straightforward win for Sassuolo on Sunday evening as they beat Sampdoria 4-1. Sassuolo were 3-0 ahead before the break after a hat-trick from Domenico Berardi. However, a red card to Ronaldo Viera for the visitors ensured that it would be a case of damage limitation. Hamed Junior Traore made it four within two minutes of the restart, before Fabio Quagliarella scored a consolation from the penalty spot.
Wins For Bologna and Verona
Bologna and Verona maintained their unbeaten start to the new season with 1-0 wins. Roberto Soriano scored a late winner for Bologna in their fixture against Spal, while Matteo Pessina’s strike was enough to see Verona past Lecce.
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